


Only temporary

by mckvch (RaiseYourVoice)



Series: Tumblr prompts [10]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Bane Chronicles - Sarah Rees Brennan & Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fix-It of Sorts, Hotel Dumort, Hurt Simon, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Episode: s01e13 Morning Star, Pre-Relationship, Raphael Speaks Spanish, Sick Simon, Tumblr Prompt, Worried Magnus, worried Raphael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-08 19:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8857372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaiseYourVoice/pseuds/mckvch
Summary: "He sometimes gets blood from the Nephilim when he's spending the whole night at the institute again and someone must have deliberately mixed it up," Magnus explained almost carefully and Raphael's eyes widened. There were probably more than enough Nephilim that weren't happy with having a vampire in their midst all the time but to revert to such petty methods..."What exactly was it?""I'm not entirely sure yet but the blood must have been contaminated with some illness and I'm not talking about your common cold but rather one of the variety that probably killed dozens of people back in the day," Magnus replied with a heavy sigh and Raphael could hear the other walk up and down in his loft. The fact that the warlock was clearly distressed caused the clan leader to feel uneasy and worried as well. He gritted his teeth, torn between dismissing the matter and wanting to make sure Simon would be okay.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> \- _Could you write a piece that's season 2 compliant where Magnus takes care of Simon after he's given tainted blood by someone at the Institute and Raphael gets super worried/upset when Magnus tells him?_ -
> 
> Here is what I made of this prompt :)

"Bane, why are you calling _again_?! Are you seriously planning to annoy me every day about him? We talked, the kill order is rescinded and I told him a start for making it up would be finding Camille," Raphael almost snarled into the phone and he was not in the mood to have another discussion about Simon with the warlock. The young vampire was on his mind more often than not ever since the betrayal and it was driving him crazy.

"It's about him but not because of that. He might be dying."

That got Raphael's attention and an uneasy feeling spread in his chest at the mere thought of Simon hurt but he tried to not let the emotions surface because he was supposed to not care about the traitor!

"What are you talking about?" Raphael managed to make his voice sound cool and almost disinterested, even though he knew Magnus could see right through him and knew he was anything but calm and collected. The worry spiked even more at the breath that was exhaled on the other end of the line and the clan leader held himself back from snapping at his old friend.

"He sometimes gets blood from the Nephilim when he's spending the whole night at the institute again and someone must have deliberately mixed it up," Magnus explained almost carefully and Raphael's eyes widened. There were probably more than enough Nephilim that weren't happy with having a vampire in their midst all the time but to revert to such petty methods...

"What exactly was it?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet but the blood must have been contaminated with some illness and I'm not talking about your common cold but rather one of the variety that probably killed dozens of people back in the day," Magnus replied with a heavy sigh and Raphael could hear the other walk up and down in his loft. The fact that the warlock was clearly distressed caused the clan leader to feel uneasy and worried as well. He gritted his teeth, torn between dismissing the matter and wanting to make sure Simon would be okay.

"I know you vampires usually bounce back from the aftereffects of tainted blood and he's young but he has been away from his clan for almost a month now. You know that especially fledgelings need their clan around and that they're weakened, as well as less in control without their clan close by."

Raphael held back an annoyed huff. _Of course_ , he knew that. And even though vampires technically couldn't get sick, to be fed blood of a sick human still triggered symptoms of the illness in them and could actually lead to death, especially for a fledgeling without a clan. Before Raphael could finish the mental decision that he had to get to Magnus's, he heard the telltale sound of magic when a portal emerged in the middle of his room. He didn't need to see its bluish-purple glimmer to know it was Magnus's doing.

He hung up without another word and stepped through the portal to step out into the living area of the warlock's loft, not paying much attention to the slight uneasiness the travel by portal alway brought. Magnus looked worried and like he hadn't slept in the last 24 hours so Raphael guessed it was indeed serious and not just Magnus being overly dramatic to get him to come over again. The other didn't have to tell him where to go because not only did Raphael know where the guest-rooms were situated in the flat but he could already hear and smell the fledgeling, only had to follow his senses.

The distinct scent of Simon was mixed with that of sickness and pain, making every of Raphael's nerve endings tingle with uneasiness. The other might have betrayed them but there was still a certain connection to him because kicking someone out of the clan didn't sever the bond completely immediately. The clan leader pushed the door open and clenched his teeth because he couldn't just smell and hear the fledgelings distress, he could feel and almost taste it.

Without paying attention to Magnus, he closed the door and walked up to the bed, his sight making it easy to make out the body huddled in the sheets even though it was almost pitch black in the room. Simon was asleep, paler than even a vampire was supposed to be and his ashen skin was glistening with cold sweat, lips parted for his unnecessary, erratic breathing and forehead crinkled with a deep frown.

Raphael carefully sat down at the edge of the bed, reaching out to the other and flinching ever so slightly when his fingertips brushed the back of Simon's hand that was curled into the blanket. Vampires were supposed to be cold because they had no body heat but the fledgeling felt like he had spent the past ours in a cooler and Raphael almost expected to see the beads of sweat on the other's skin turn into ice any second now.

" _Pinche idiota_ ," the clan leader mumbled and his hand came to rest on Simon's, finger wrapping around it almost gingerly and part of him wished he had to ability to take the pain away that the other was obviously feeling. Simon's hair was even more of a mess than usual, some strand sticking to the wet skin of his forehead and Raphael resisted the urge to brush them away.

It seemed like hours when Simon's eyelids finally fluttered and opened a crack, a croaky "Magnus?" falling from his chapped lips - either because even in this state he noticed there was someone in the room or it was just a weak attempt to call out to the warlock.

"Magnus is in the living room," the clan leader informed Simon with a low, carefully blank voice and he felt the other tense when he recognised his voice. Their last encounter had started with them almost going at each other's throats and only Magnus's presence had prevented them from attacking. Raphael had absolutely no intention of attacking the other this time, though. Not just because Simon was clearly in a very bad state but Raphael couldn't even be mad at the other right now, the worry overshadowing all the anger and pain he still felt after the betrayal.

"Ra-pha?" Simon struggled to form his name and seemingly gave up after the first two syllables and the clan leader closed his eyes for a brief second at the memory of his younger sibling and his _mamá_ calling him this nickname affectionately. He shook his head a little bit, trying to get rid of the memories and remain in the here and now.

"Magnus called me," he explained, surprised by the softness in his own voice, and his fingertips pressed gently against Simon's hand to give him some sort of comfort. "This is exactly why I warned you not to trust the Nephilim. Just because some of them might be your friends or seem like they are, doesn't mean you can trust them or their kind."

Simon made a small noise and probably wanted to protest but was too weak to form words. He shifted a little and turned his hand, trying to curl his fingers around Raphael's and seek more contact with his former leader. Most vampires were pretty touchy-feely but not in general, only towards clan members they were close to because the contact to a clan member made them feel more at ease and gave them more strength. Over his short time in the Dumort Simon had developed this habit with Raphael and he had noticed the clan leader reciprocated it - they had always ended up in each other's personal space, most of the time without consciously doing so. Simon still felt like absolute crap but having Raphael close, feeling his familiar touch, it did seem to soothe the effects of the tainted blood at least the slightest bit.

"You smell of death," Raphael commented drily, not really knowing what else to say without giving away the worry that was tugging at his insides, pulling every single one of his nerves taut and causing him to feel restless. He still didn't trust Simon and he couldn't just forgive the betrayal but this didn't mean he stopped caring about the other. Quite the opposite. He was constantly worried what the fledgeling might get himself into without the protection and guidance of his clan but there was nothing Raphael could do about it. Simon would have to redeem himself and prove that he could be let back into the clan without risking anyone's safety again and the clan leader knew he wasn't the only one struggling with their fledgeling's absence.

The weird mix of being angry at Simon and yet missing his presence was a sensation that kept Raphael from getting proper sleep and he had to remind himself to feed frequently because he just didn't feel the hunger nowadays.

"Well...I am...dead," Simon replied weakly, coughing roughly and sucking in multiple breaths his lungs didn't need. Raphael frowned and stood up, ignoring the pitiful whimper from Simon when his hand slid free from the other's grip. The clan leader walked to the door and opened it, spotting Magnus leant against the wall in the hallway as if he had tried to eavesdrop or just stayed close because he felt even more uneasy when he put too much distance between himself and his "patient".

"I need a portal back to the hotel. I will take him with me until he is back on his feet. This doesn't mean he is forgiven or that I allow him back into the clan. It's only temporary because he might really die without the clan around," Raphael announced and he couldn't quite name the emotions he felt right now. Part of him was relieved to have a reason to let Simon back into the hotel, even if it was just for a limited time, and part of him dreaded having the other around again only so he would have to kick him out again.

Magnus offered him a weak smile, probably seeing right through him once again before he turned around with a soft "I'll conjure the portal, go get him". The clan leader closed his eyes for a brief moment before he turned back around and walked into the guest room, meeting Simon's tired but anxious gaze.

"You can come back to the hotel but only until you feel better! When you're on your feet again, you will have to leave, understood?"

Simon blinked slowly and a mix of disappointment and relief flickered through his usually warm and lively brown eyes that looked dull and glassy from the illness. Raphael held back the need to say sorry and tell the other that he didn't want to send him away again but it would only make him more vulnerable and cause more pain for both of them. Instead, he reached out for the blankets covering Simon's form and thanks to his vampire strength it was easy to lift the fledgeling off the bed. The other seemed thinner and bonier, probably hadn't fed properly without Raphael around to keep an eye on him and of course, his current state didn't exactly help the situation.

Raphael cradled the exhausted fledgeling against his chest, surprised by his own tenderness, and he almost smiled when Simon turned his face to nuzzle into his shoulder, clearly breathing in his scent without being aware of his own action. Magnus smiled at him when they entered the living area of the loft and touched Raphael's shoulder with a gentle "Call me whenever you need me", clearly not only referring to the almost unconscious vampire in the clan leader's arms.

He nodded curtly, stepping up to the glimmering portal but before he stepped through it, a softly uttered " _Gracias, mi viejo amigo_ " left his lips and he offered Magnus the faintest of smiles, showing the sincerity of his gratefulness that he couldn't quite convey through words. The warlock reciprocated the smile and nodded at him before Raphael stepped through the portal and into his room in the Dumort where he placed the now sleeping fledgeling gently on his large four-poster bed, this time not resisting the urge to brush the hair away from his forehead.

" _Espero que te sientas mejor pronto, mi querido. No quiero que tú mueras._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Pinche idiota_ \- Fucking idiot  
>  _Gracias, mi viejo amigo_ \- Thank you, my old friend  
>  _Espero que te sientas mejor pronto, mi querido. No quiero que tú mueras._ \- I hope you feel better soon, my dear. I don't want you to die.


	2. Chapter 2

It only took about an hour before the first clan members showed up at Raphael's door because they caught the scent of sickness waving off of Simon but they also noticed the underlying familiar scent of their fledgeling. Raphael had sent them away but called in a clan meeting another half hour later to inform the others about the reasons of Simon being back in the hotel. At first, they were against _the traitor_ being back and that he should leave immediately but when the clan heard what happened, the whole mood shifted.

"He betrayed us for them and that's how the Nephilim thank him?!"

"Even though he deserves punishment after what he did, the Nephilim should pay for trying to kill one of us - especially in such a cowardly way!"

Everyone from the clan was either angry at the Shadowhunters on Simon's behalf or wanted to punish them because this was unacceptable, even if Simon had been kicked out for betraying his clan. The Shadowhunters still didn't have any right to attack him without consequences.

Raphael had expected the clan to be more disapproving of him bringing Simon back without warning but now that they knew the reason, everyone seemed to be in favour of their fledgeling being back for the time being. Each and every one of them was mad and hurt but they weren't cruel enough to leave Simon to his death. And especially the younger vampires could understand why the fledgeling did what he did. Becoming a vampire wasn't something that happened over night. The body changed, yes, but the mind took a lot longer to adjust and to accept that everything had shifted completely.

After everyone had agreed that Simon was allowed to stay until his recovering, Raphael went back to his room and almost rushed back inside because he could hear Simon's pained whimpers already before he even entered the floor. The fledgeling was tossing and turning, the blanket was partly wrapped tightly around his body while the other part was thrown off by all his moving.

"Simon, _cálmese_." Raphael brushed the other's forehead with his fingertips before gingerly cupping his cheek with his hand. Simon's face was flushed faintly and the colour would be a lot deeper if it weren't for the fact that the young vampire hadn't fed recently. His skin was still icy to the touch and not heated up like one would expect. The soft touch seemed to work and Simon calmed down instantly, stopped thrashing his limbs and pressed his face into Raphael's palm instead.

Simon's long lashes fluttered against Raphael's skin before his eyelids lifted slowly, revealing the dull brown of eyes glassy from sickness. The fledgeling's gaze was unfocused, searching, but it cleared up a little when it landed on the clan leader and the tiniest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his cracked lips.

"Rapha," he croaked and somehow managed to lift an arm, his fingers curling into the sleeve of Raphael's jacket, tugging his hand a little closer to nuzzle more into the contact. The clan leader was this close to jerking his hand free and distance himself from the other but couldn't bring himself to because he could already imagine Simon's hurt, dejected expression if he reacted this way. The other looked pitiful enough and it hurt Raphael already just looking at him in this state, he didn't need to make it even worse. It was only for now, anyway. _Only temporary_!

"I'm here, baby, you're safe," Raphael mumbled and shifted a little closer, eyes taking the other in to assess his state. He was about to point out that Simon needed to feed because he wouldn't get better if he didn't consume any blood but a knock at the door interrupted the clan leader. He had been so focused on the sick fledgeling, that he hadn't even noticed anyone coming upstairs but he knew immediately that it was Lily on the other side of the door.

He allowed her to enter the room because he was unwilling to let go of Simon already but he pulled his hand away from the other's cheek, ignoring the younger's little whine at the loss of contact. He turned towards the door when it was pushed open and Lily entered with a small tray that had two glasses and a large pitcher with blood. Raphael raised his eyebrows and he would probably comment this actions under normal circumstances, tell her that this was unnecessary and that he would take care of it, but the clan leader was admittedly glad that about Lily's help.

It felt like she always hovered close ever since Simon's betrayal and she was clearly worried about Raphael most of the time because he was more withdrawn, drinking less blood ever since they had lost their fledgeling. It was annoying most of the time but Raphael couldn't really get mad about it either because he knew the whole clan shared the pain of what Simon did to them, they all were affected, some more than others, and it was in their nature to worry and take care of the ones who neglected themselves.

Raphael muttered a low "Thank you" when Lily placed the tray on the bedside table and her gaze was almost fixed on the sick fledgeling. Simon looked so small, vulnerable and way more dead than a vampire was supposed to look. His unfocused eyes fluttered from Raphael to Lily and back, clearly insecure about the reaction he might be met with. Lily didn't say anything, she just reached out slowly to run her fingers through Simon's messy, sweaty hair in a soothing manner and the young vampire relaxed instantly.

Lily stood up again after silently greeting the fledgeling and she sent the clan leader a gaze full of worry but Raphael shook his head slightly, signalling that now was not the time to talk, and she accepted it with a nod before leaving the room again.

"'m sorry."

Raphael's gaze snapped back to Simon and he felt the other's icy fingers curl around his, squeezing them so softly that the pressure was barely noticeable but it was probably all the strength he could muster right now.

"You need to feed," Raphael said and he tried to sound disinterested, cool. He knew what Simon was apologising for but this was not the time for this talk. Simon was too weak and Raphael didn't have the nerve to talk about this topic now. He reached out for the pitcher and filled a glass with the red liquid before grabbing the straw placed next to it. The clan leader helped Simon to sit up a little and the small groans of pain that left the other's lips with every small movement tugged painfully at Raphael's heart. Even after everything the other had done, Raphael still worried and felt bad for him.

"Drink," he ordered with a much softer voice than intended, gently nudging the straw against Simon's chapped bottom lip to get him to open up. The fledgeling blinked slowly, clearly close to falling back asleep, but he still obliged and parted his lips to carefully suck at the straw, drawing in the dark red liquid. Raphael watched the other's Adam's apple bob when he swallowed the blood and he managed to drink about half of the glass before he gave up. A drop of blood stuck to Simon's bottom lip when Raphael pulled the glass and straw back and he had to resist the urge to brush his thumb along it.

"Can you...stay?" Simon's weak voice mumbled after he sank back further into the pillows and had obvious trouble keeping his eyes open. The clan leader was about to decline and say he still had important paperwork to do because he really had but instead he ended up nodding. Simon raised his hand and patted the empty space next to him on the bed, silently asking Raphael to lie down with him. The fledgeling had betrayed them and didn't really deserve more care than the necessary but despite the pain, Raphael couldn't bring himself to be dismissive and just leave the other alone in this state. So he gave in once again and rounded the bed to slide down onto the mattress next to Simon after slipping the jacket off his shoulders and draping it over the foot of the bed.

"I know I screwed up...but I never wanted to hurt or endanger anyone...And I never wanted to set her free," Simon murmured and turned on his side, one hand carefully resting against the other's side and dark, glassy eyes looking up at Raphael with a sad, guilty expression. The clan leader really wanted to avoid this topic, not just because Simon wasn't in a good state to start discussing all of this. Raphael raised a hand to carefully brush his fingers through the other's hair and pull his head a little closer so that is resting against the clan leader's shoulder.

"I know you didn't intend what happened but you were still part of it. Just because you didn't want this outcome to happen doesn't just make it okay or easy to forgive," Raphael replied honestly, with a low and soft voice while caressing the back of Simon's head with his fingers. "You should rest now, we can talk about this when you're back on your feet."

"But what if I don't--"

" _Cállate, vete a dormir_ ," Raphael interrupted the fledgeling with a stern, slightly gruff voice and reached for the blanket to pull it further over the other's body. Vampires might not need blankets because they never felt cold but being wrapped up in a blanket when you were feeling bad was still providing a soothing comfort. Simon's pale lips curled into the tiniest of smiles before he closed his tired eyes and snuggled up to the clan leader, face pressed into Raphael's shoulder and breathing in the other's familiar scent it didn't take too long for him to fall asleep.

* * *

Raphael had managed to fall asleep as well when the sun had long risen but he was awake multiple times because some clan members actually showed up at the door and asked about the fledgeling, wanted to know if he would recover and be okay again. Each and every one of the clan members had been hurt and angry after Simon's betrayal but they still worried about his well-being and clearly cared about the fledgeling. Seeing their clan leader curled up on the bed with Simon caused some of them to smile while Stan and Lily always acknowledged this with a knowing smile.

Almost a week went by where Simon only fed because Raphael basically forced him to and the clan leader barely left his side, when he did, at least one of the clan members kept Simon company, told him about things that happened in the month since he left or silently read a book while the fledgeling slept which he did most of them time. He had started to feel better after a few days and when said week had passed Simon was still pretty weak but he slept less and if he finally started feeding properly again, he would be back on his feet in a few more days.

When Raphael entered his room, two glasses and a pitcher with blood balanced on a tray, Simon just left the bathroom because he finally had enough energy to take a shower. The clothes he wore were the clan leader's and Raphael stopped in his tracks for a few seconds to take in the sight of Simon once again wearing his wardrobe. He was pretty sure, if he still had a heartbeat, it would have skipped a beat and Raphael hated that the fledgeling still had this effect on him, even after everything that had happened.

He placed the tray on his desk and filled both glasses with blood, handing one to Simon who mumbled an almost shy "thank you", taking a sip from the thick liquid. They drank in silence and when the fledgeling finished, he placed the glass back on the tray, licked his lips and fumbled with the sleeves of his - well, Raphael's - jacket.

"I guess I better get going now. Thank you so much for taking me in and taking care of me," Simon said in a soft murmur and cast his eyes down to the floor, avoiding eye contact with the clan leader. Raphael watched the younger vampire, holding back a sigh and placing his own glass back on the tray as well. He had honestly hoped Simon would stay until he was fully recovered, just to have one or two more days with the other but he couldn't really tell the other to stick around - he had set the rule that the fledgeling had to leave as soon as he was able to and couldn't just go back on his own word.

"You did wrong but that doesn't mean we want you dead."

"Well, if I remember correctly you did put a kill order on my head."

"In the heat of the moment and you know that nobody of the clan would have gone through with it anyway," the clan leader replied with a huff and rolled his eyes while walking to the door to accompany Simon downstairs. They met a few clan members on their way to the lobby who nodded at Simon, some with relieved smiles, or shot questioning glances to their leader, probably wondering where they were going. Both of them walked slower than necessary, clearly reluctant to reach the front door.

"Are you leaving already?" Lily's voice suddenly sounded from the far end of the lobby, just when they reached the door and Raphael was about to push it open and say his goodbye, despite not really wanting to let the other go.

"Yeah, I'm well enough again and I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality any longer than strictly necessary. You did enough for me and I don't even know why you are still so nice to me after everything...It's not like I deserved your help," Simon replied and his shoulders slumped a little more, his head bowed and Raphael had to bite his tongue to keep himself from objecting.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're still one of us and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who sees it like this." Lily glanced at Raphael who huffed softly at this not very subtle hint that all of them wanted their fledgeling back in the clan, even if they would still need more time to really forgive him for what happened but all of them were more than willing to try because they missed their youngest clan member. It was weird, Simon had only been in the hotel for a short time but they had already gotten used to the constant chatter about movies and games. It was eerily quiet in the Dumort without Simon's liveliness or him strumming his guitar, singing along to some pop tune that everyone claimed to be annoyed by.

"We could put it to a vote if the fledgeling is allowed to stay," Stan added while walking down the stairs, leaning against the bannister with a small smile on his lips. Raphael rolled his eyes when a murmur could be heard and a few other members entered the lobby as well - he wasn't too surprised that the others had lurked in the hallways and corners to watch what was going on. The clan leader sighed but agreed to a vote while Simon watched all of them with wide eyes, shock and surprise clear on his still sickly pale features.

Raphael waited for more clan members to pour into the big space of the foyer before telling them to be quiet and asking who was in favour of allowing Simon back into the clan - of course, he would still have to work to gain their trust back and earn his place in the clan back - and almost everyone raised a hand without hesitation, Lily and Stan being the first to react. The clan leader had expected this outcome but Simon simply stared with an open mouth and wide eyes, obviously tearing up because he never expected for the clan to welcome him back into their midst, especially not this soon.

"Well, I guess that's a very definitive answer. You can move back into your old room - if you even wish to come back, that is," Raphael addressed their fledgeling and the corners of his mouth curled into the hint of a smile.

"O-of course I want to come back!" Simon almost squawked his answer, his voice a little more high pitched than usual and his eyes were clearly glistening from unshed tears now. Stan and Lily grinned widely and the latter immediately stepped closer to wrap Simon up in her arms, pulling him into an almost bone-crushing hug.

Simon was unable to hold back the tears from spilling down his cheeks when he heard the gentle "Welcome home, baby" from the clan leader and some of the clan members echoed the greeting while others still looked a little disgruntled but Simon swore to himself that he wouldn't make them regret the decision to give him second chance. He wouldn't risk losing his new family a second time, that much was sure!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Cálmese_ \- Calm down  
>  _Cállate, vete a dormir_ \- Shut up, go to sleep


End file.
